Starting from a Stock Report
For expert users, stock reports are often the fastest path to production-quality output because core logic, joins, and business framing are already established.
- Select Open.
- Filter or select a stock report, for example, Policy Renewals.
- Load the report into the editor.
- Review the SQL and required parameters.
- Run it once unchanged to validate baseline behavior.
- Apply incremental modifications and rerun.
What to expect: Stock reports reduce startup time, but they are not a substitute for validation. Always confirm the baseline assumptions, then apply scoped changes and compare output before and after each modification.
Working with Parameters
Parameters are how a one-time query becomes a reusable reporting artifact. Placeholders can be embedded in SQL and are surfaced in the parameters table at runtime.
Example placeholder:
'<<$StartDate>>'
Example typed usage:
CAST('<<$CedingCommissionRate>>' AS DECIMAL(5,4)) AS ceding_commission_rate
Why Parameters Matter
Typed, well-named parameters reduce report sprawl and prevent accidental logic drift across copied queries. A single report with clear parameter contracts is usually easier to govern than many near-duplicate reports.
Parameter Best Practices
- Use clear, business-friendly names.
- Cast parameters to expected types such as DATE, DECIMAL, or INTEGER.
- Validate default behavior and realistic ranges before publishing.
- Document parameter meaning and intended usage in the report description or SQL comments.